I Chose To Believe

Psychiatry and Possession

Is it possible to be a sophisticated psychiatrist and believe that evil spirits are, however seldom, assailing humans? Most of my scientific colleagues and friends say no, because of their frequent contact with patients who are deluded about demons, their general skepticism of the supernatural, and their commitment to employ only standard, peer-reviewed treatments that do not potentially mislead (a definite risk) or harm vulnerable patients. But careful observation of the evidence presented to me in my career has led me to believe that certain extremely uncommon cases can be explained no other way.

Weed Good For Old Minds

A trial of medical cannabis oil on people with symptoms of dementia has shown a significant reduction in delusional and apathetic behaviour, improbably enough.

Study Shows Nature Heals Trauma

Man creates War.  War creates Trauma.  Nature offers plants, fungi, forests, and rivers for healing the wounded soul of Man.  Man outlaws Nature.

Soft and Hard Targets of Scepticism

When people like this get together, they become tribal. They pat each other on the back and tell each other how smart they are compared to those outside the tribe. But belonging to a tribe often makes you dumber.

Why the Art World's Raging Narcissism Epidemic Is Killing Art

Real world Facebook and Twitter egotists set benchmarks for normal users of social media, just like their art world counterparts. Both misshape the wider cultural environment, but also open the floodgates to a more extreme scenario—the normalization of narcissism.

WHO Soon To Classify Aging As A Disease

Doctors are usually the most inclined to consider states of being as diseases. Laypeople are the least inclined, and nurses and legislators are in between. The willingness to pay for treatment from public funds is very strongly correlated with the perception of disease.

The "Institutional Corruption" of Psychiatry

"Again, this is part of the 'institutional corruption' lens we were using to study the institution of psychiatry and its behavior. The assumption is that individuals within the institution can't see that their behavior has been corrupted by 'economies of influence.' And so, when those outside the institution begin pointing out the corruption in it, those within it may construct a narrative that protects their self-image. In this case, psychiatrists need to protect their image as honest researchers and as physicians who put the interests of their patients first. Cognitive dissonance theory reveals that there are a myriad of ways that people protect themselves in this manner."

Who is Delusional? The Answer Is: We All Are

"Any kind of ideology can provide people a sense of control, particularly when experiencing chaos or confusing random events. The more confusing, terrifying, overwhelming, chaotic or unjust the world in which one exists, the more elaborate, concrete, or fantastical the beliefs needed to feel in control, ease anxiety, and have a sense of purpose and importance. In general, belief systems serve to protect us and help us survive."

Medical Nemesis: The Cycle of Physician-Caused Anger, Despair and Death

"Beyond the misdiagnosis of physical illnesses as psychiatric ones, doctors often diagnose a person with a psychiatric disorder when that person's so-called symptoms are actually normal human reactions."

Officials Declare ‘Eating Healthy’ a Mental Disorder

"In short, if you turn your back on low quality, corporate food containing known cancer causing toxic additives and a rich history of dishonesty rooted in a continuous 'profits over people' modus operandi, then you may suffer from a mental illness. The cherry on top is that if you have the pseudo-science labeled disorder of orthorexia nervosa, you will be prescribed known toxic, pharmaceutical drugs from some of the same conglomerate corporations that you are trying to avoid by eating healthy in the first place."

It's Official: If You Question Authority, You Are Mentally Ill

"Having steered the higher-education terrain for a decade of my life, I know that degrees and credentials are primarily badges of compliance. Those with extended schooling have lived for many years in a world where one routinely conforms to the demands of authorities. Thus for many MDs and PhDs, people different from them who reject this attentional and behavioral compliance appear to be from another world—a diagnosable one."

Bored

It turns out that drugging children who are bored in class doesn't make them better students.

How could psychiatry ever drive us to such thinking? Jon Rappoport explains.